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Book: brief answers to the big questions; Author: Stephen Hawking; Publisher: John Murray / Hachette India; Pages: 232; Price: Rs 650
This book began when Stephen Hawking was alive but was published this month posthumously. It is presented by the editor as his final thought and is largely inspired by essays, speeches and lectures that he has written or uttered during his stay on Earth. It presents the essence of his reflections on some of the most important issues that the late cosmologist considered. great importance for the planet and humanity in general.
For example, the universe is propped up without the help of God – but later still.
The book's merit lies, as always, in the importance of the issues it addresses. But Hawking's latest book – unlike most of his previous work, including "A Brief History of Time" – is not based solely on instructions or results, but is filled with wit and humor and each times as necessary, is anecdotal in its structure.
Readers have the opportunity to watch Hawking as well, apart from his work. For example, describing why one should not hesitate to ask big questions, he shares his personal relationship with his son Tim and reminds readers that a child, Tim had once asked him if there were many universes. Hawking told him that he should never be afraid to formulate an idea or hypothesis, no matter how crazy he is. It was Hawking in the shoes of a father, but he recounts his experience by clearly explaining his point of view and surely succeeds.
In another case, Hawking is asked about his childhood dream and wonders if it has become reality. His answer gives an overview of the man's making. "I wanted to be a great scientist, however, I was not a very good student at school and I was rarely half-class.My job was messy and my writing did not make me happy. was not very good but I had good friends at And we talked about everything and, in particular, about the origin of the universe.This is where my dream started and I am very lucky to see it come true. "
The book is rich with such personal notes, giving readers a glimpse of how Hawking behaved or thought in his personal life and what has served to forge his extraordinary personality.
Coming to "Brief Answers", Hawking seems almost convinced that the population explosion and the speed with which we exploit the planet make the end imminent. Referring to the population, climate change, global warming, nuclear weapons and even political instability, Hawking says that all this, or the sum of their results, could erase the humanity of Earth.
His most frightening warning is that, if global warming persists, the Earth could look like Venus – "sulfuric acid boiling hot, but with a temperature of 250 degrees Celsius". The anxiety is still growing because it is, he thought, that it might already be too late to verify this.
However, even before that happened, Hawking was convinced that a nuclear disaster would lead to the destruction of man.
The "big question" that comes out of its conclusion is therefore: what must humans do to survive? The "short answer" is this: venture into space to not just trust a planet. For humanity to survive, she must not keep all her eggs in one basket, he wrote. Hawking then suggests that scientific and technological advances can enable the human race to survive – but even if that happens, most other species on Earth would be destroyed and "it will be our consciousness as a race".
In a nutshell, he points out that humans have no choice but to colonize other planets and moons. He suggests designing a long-term strategy to explore other planets and moons looking for a new home, claiming that planets from other solar systems might be a more viable option than ours .
But why would that happen? Is God so mean to allow the extinction of humans? The conclusion he had arrived at was that there was no God. "There is no God, no one directs the universe," he writes. "For centuries, it was believed that people with disabilities like me lived under a curse inflicted by God," he adds. "I prefer to think that everything can be explained in another way, by the laws of nature."
Speaking of the beginning of the universe, Hawking states that there was no "time" before the Big Bang. "The role played by time at the beginning of the universe is, I believe, the ultimate key to eliminating the need of a great designer and revealing how the universe was created," did he declare.
Overall, "Brief Answers to Big Questions" is a delightful but meaningful reading for anyone trying to understand our place in a larger world. The book does justice to its title, presenting brief answers to big questions. This book is also the last opportunity for readers to understand the man that was Hawking.
In the end, we find that Hawking was extremely grateful for the life he had lived, recognizing that part of his popularity could be related to his disability. Yet he had only one quest: to find answers to all the big questions that came to his mind. And he lived his life pursuing that goal. Hawking did not believe in a life after death, but he will surely live long after his death in human memory.
(Saket Suman can be contacted at [email protected])
(This story has not been changed by Devdiscourse staff and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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